Improved washing-machine



NV PETERS, PHOTO-LITHOGRAPHER, WASHINGTON. D C.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

A. (l. \\'lLlUNS, OF (,`()()PERS'l`O\\'l\', PENNSYLVANIA.

IMPROVED WASHING-MACHINE.

Spcriliration f1 nming part of Letters Patent No. 35,166, dated May (i, i862.

.To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, A. (i. VW11 KlNs, ot' tooperstown, in the county ot' Vcnang'o and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful linprovcn'lent in lVaslling-Machines3 and l do hereby declare that the following a tull, clear, and exact description of the same,

ret'erenco beine,l had to the accompanying.

drawings1 forming' part ot' this specification, in which-- l `igurel is a vertical longitudinal section of my improved machine. l`ig. 2 is a partial section and side elevation ot' the same. Fig. i is a vertical transverse section oli the same.

Similar letters ot' reference in each ot" the several Figures indicate (.orrcsponding parts.

My improven'lents relate to an arrangement ot' large and small roller, inclined slatted apron, clothes-confining' cords, a stationary platform, tinted 1inessing'-roller, angular adjusting-bar, slotted guides, and horizontal adjusting-screws, in comliination with a washtnb. By means ot' this combination and arrangement a good practical washing-machine is produced and facilities for using the slatted apron as a hand wash-board forlight and delicate parts or articles afforded.

To enable others skilled in the art. to make and use my inventioi'l, I will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

A is a wash box or tub ot' rectangular or other appropriate form to contain the washing mechanism.

B C D are three rollers arranged within the tub in proper relation to each other and some distance from the ends ot' the tub.

E. is a platform arranged incliningly between the rollers B (l and nearly level with the top thereof, so as to form, as it were, a continuation of the rollers, and thus fill or close the space between them toa very slightdepth.

Beneath this platform, between the rollers, an open space exists.

F is an endl'ss apron or carrier formed of three-cornered slats and arranged around the rollers B C, over the platform E, and in contact with the roller I). This apron is hung incliningly and revolves by frictional Contact with the rollers B C and by gearing contact with the roller l). Between several pairs of the slats of the carrier cords a a are arranged at right angles to the motion ol.l the carrier, so as to coutine the clothes which are to be washed.

The roller B is made of a much greater v'diameter than the roller C, in order that the carrier shall be depressed at its front end, and thus incline from its rear toits front end; also, that the front end shall be deeply immersed in water, and, likewise, that it shall have `greater speed at the point where the clothes are reversed in position and`subjected to the body ol water or suds, the increased speed causin greater agitation and more thorough separation ot' the dirt from the clothes than a speed produced by a front-end roller ot same diameter as the back-end roller.

'lhe roller C is hung' on a revolving` shaft, which has no chance to play in its bearings longitudinally. The roller B has its shaft hung` in sliding` blocks, which have a chance to move longitudinally in rectangular slots c. To the blocks screw-rods d (Il are attached, and on the screw end oll the rods clamp-adjusting nuts e e are fitted.

The shaft f ot' the roller l) terminates in two vertical arms, g g, with screw-threads on their termini. These arms are iitted to recesses on the inner side of the tub and contined in place by slotted guide-plates 71v h, as shown. Clampad j usting nuts i are fitted to the screw ends of the arms.

To operate with my machine, the slatted belt is made taut by drawing up the screwrods d d, with the nuts e e, and the clothes j inserted under the cords d al, as illustrated. The large roller B is now set in motion by the crank, and the slatted carrier, through its frictional contact, caused to carry the clothes down on an incline into the body of suds, and then under the roller B and between its own slats and the flutes of the roller C, and then under and around the roller B. This motion is continued until the clothes are cleansed as far as practicable by machinery. It is obvious that the clot-hes are subjected in their motion to a beating, squeezing, and expanding,` operation. lf it is found that wristbands, bosoms, and other parts of delicate garments require additional rubbing, the slatted carrier is tightened by the longitudinal screwrods and the vertical arms, so that it is held stationary, and that part ot the carrier which is above Vthe platform Eis used as a'hand Wash-board to carry out this further operation upon the clothes. The use of the same slatted carrier that carries the clothes through the suds as a hand Wash-board is anovelty in washing-machines, and the practicability of the same is obvious, for the two tensions at right angles, caused by the elevation of the rollerD and the longitudinal movement of the roller B, in connection Wit-l1 the Xed platform E, insure a stationary condition of the parts While the hand-nf'ashing is thus being performed on the slats of the carrier.

That I claim as my invention isl. The arrangement of the large roller B, smaller end roller, C, Central Fluted roller, D, and inclined slatted carrier Fwithin a washtub, in a manner and for the purpose substantially as described.

2. The arrangement of the platform E, slatted inclined carrier F, large roller B, smaller roller, C, fluted roller D, longitudinal screwvrods d d, and vertical screw-arms g g, in the A. D. 1862, in the matter ot my application for patent on washing-maalune.

A. G. VILKINS.

Witnesses:

GUsTAvUs DiETERICH, EDWIN S. JACOB. 

